Bandage



Jan, 23, 11951 H. E. WAITE ET AL 2,53970 BANDAGE Filed Dec. 14, 1946 Patented Jan. 23,1951

BANDAGE Howard E. Waite, Ross Township, Allegheny County, and William K. Smith, Heilwood, Pa.

Application December 14, 1946, Serial No. 716,286

(Cl. 12S-166.5)

Claims.

This invention relates generally to bandages and more particularly to a roller bandage for use in binding .ioints of the human body such as the heel, the elbow and the knee.

Unless the center of acravat or the center of a roller bandage is employed in starting and forming a traction hitch or a bandage to support a sprained ankle, it is impossible to properly anchor and lock the bandage and at the same time provide the proper support of the ioints. It is frequently desirable to bandage the ankles of contestants in athletic games to strengthen the ,ioint between the tarsus and the tibia and thereby avoid iniury thereto. For this purpose the roller type bandage is the least bulky and permits use with footgear thereover. When an ordinary roller bandage is applied to the ankle and heel by locking one end over the instep, followed by a figure eight wrapping under the foot and around the back of the ankle. it will not provide the proper support for the lower tibia joint.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of a. loop or sling at the end of a roller bandage which may be applied for the purpose of anchoring and properly supporting joints such as the tarsus to the tibia.

Another obiect is the provision of a roller bandage having a loop or sling that is applicable as either a right or left bandage.

Another obiect is the provision ofY a loon or sling on a roller bandage Which'is symmetrical with respect to the standing part of the bandage.

Another obiect is the provision of a portion attached to the 'night of the loop for locking the latter when bandaging.

Another obiect is the provision of a bandage having its end attached to the standing part to form a loop with a straight course leading to the bight and a return course leading to the end and having a transverse locking tab at the apex of the bight to produce a support bandage in binding joints of the human body.

Other objects and advantages appear in the following description and claims.

Practical embodiments illustrating the principles of this invention are shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a right bandage comprising this invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the bandage shown in Fig. 1-with the loop inverted to form a left bandage. I Y f' Fig. 3 is a view of a modied form of a loop on the-bandage.

Fig. 4 is a view showing the application of the bandage to the right foot. l l

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 4 illustrating the bandage substantially completed in Wrapping about the right foot.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings the roller bandage I comprises the standing portion 2 and the loop 3. The loop is made up of the straight course 4, the bight 5 and the return course 6 The end 'l of the bandage preferablycrosses over the standing portion 2 at an angle of approximately thirty degrees and is secured thereto as by sewing as indicated at 8. It will be noted that the upper side of the tape forming the bandage in Fig. l remains the upper or inner face of the loop formed by the straight course 4, the bight 5, the return course 6 and the end 1. This manner of constructing the loop produces a sling or stirrup and the longitudinal axis of any member extending through the loop and resting on the bight would be substantially normal to the plane of the standing portion 2. This is an important feature of this invention as it provides a sling at the end of the bandage, the bight of which may loop around an angular part of the body, such as the heel, and when pulled tightly will provide direct support to that member. When applied as a bandage as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the greatest force in support of the member is along the straight course 4 of the loop. The least force is applied through the return course 8. This provides an added feature important to this invention as the bandage shown in Fig. 1 is a right bandage and it is turned over with the loop turned inside out to make a left bandage as shown 'in Fig. 2 thus retaining the straight course 4 to provide the greatest force under the arch.

When the loop 3 is placed around the heel of the right foot as illustrated in Fig. 4 the straight course 4 is drawn upwardly under the arch of the foot and the return course 6 passes around the back of the heel as shown. When in this position the bandage vmay be pulled to tightly draw the foot into an eversion position. The bandage is then wound over the instep and back under the arch and up on the right side oi the foot to lock it in this everted position.- This complete wrap of the bandage ordinarily utilizes the whole of the loop structure and the standing portion 2 of the bandage is employedft complete the bandaging by repeatedly winding it inthe form of a gure eight around the left side and the back of the ankle and acrossthe top ofthe instep then down under the arch to the right side of the foot. This figure eight pass of the standing portion of the bandage is utilized until the Whole of the bandage has been Wound around the foot. It may be tied, held with adhesve tape or otherwise secured after being completely wound to firmly support and lock the foot in its everted position thereby stabilizing and protecting the joint.

In View ofthe fact that the straight course 4 is drawn under the arch and over the instep in the first wrap the return course 6 which is disposed at an angle to the straight course fol-ds over the top of the joint between the tarsus and the tibia. Thus the return course 6 permits the loop to be neatly folded over the joint owing to its angular disposition with respect to the standing part 2 of the bandage. When the bandage is to be used for the left foot, the loop is turned inside-out, and it is applied to the left foot with the straight course 4 drawn under the arch and over the instep as the return course 6 passes in back of the ankle and over the joint between the tarsus and tibia as previously described.

In order to make certain that the loop will properly lock on the heel a tab member -9 is secured to the apex of the bight 5 as by sewing indicated at I0. This tab is secured) transversely to the bandage and is made suicient'ly long to permit it to extend to or beyond the ridge of the instep as indicatedin Fig. 4. When the loop is placed around the heel and the tab extended over the instep as shown it may be held in place by the nger. as shown in Fig. 4, until the straight course 4 of the loop passes over the instep thereby tightly locking or anchoring the loop to the heel. Considerable pressure may be exerted on the bandage at this time for the purpose of snugly supporting the tarsus to the tibia in an everted position. It will be noted that even though the tab is disposed transversely .to the bandage material when placed on the foot this tab is substantially vparallel with 'the return course Y6, and when wrapped the latter may or'may not be engaged by the former depending upon the size of the foot. However this arrangement prevents a complete overlapping of lthese two members and thereby avoids a formation of bulkiness, which would interfere with the action of the movement of the joint.

In the structure shown in Fig. 3 the end I I of the bandage -roll -I maybe secured in any desired manner to the lends I2 and I3 of a separate vloop `member I4. -The loop ends are .preferably ysecured to the lbandage end II by sewing as lindicated -at I5 and itis preferable to dispose each of the loop ends at the sainefangle to the course .-2 of the bandage -as indicated in order to provide a symmetrically disposed sling from the bight I 6 of the loop I4. In other words a member supported in the bight I6 of the loop would have -its longitudinal axis disposed normally to the plane of the standing part 2. The apex of the bight is provided with a tab member 9 in the same manner as illustrated in the structures` of Figs. 1 and 2 and the center of the tab is vdisposed -in alignment with the center of the standing portion 2.V

Thus the loop I4 Vdisclosed in Fig. 3 is symmetrical with respect to the standing portion 2 of the bandage and it vmay be employed on either the right or the left -foot without turning theloop inside-out which was necessary in order to form a right or left bandage in the structure shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Thus the loop I4 does not have a straight course and it is symmetrically disposed relative to the standing part 2 but it may be applied in the same manner as described with reference to the bandage disclosed in Fig. l.

The angular disposition of the return course of the bandage shown in Fig. 1 and either the extended or return course I'I or I8 of the structure shown in Fig. 3 are preferably disposed at an angle to the standing portion 2 of the bandage. This angle may be advantageously varied for the purpose of changing the shape of the loop for different sizes and shapes of the feet or joints to which the bandages are to be applied as illustrated in the drawings. However this angle is shown to be approximately thirty degrees.

Again it is advantageous to vary the length of the loop to accommodate different sizes and shapes 'of the feet and other joints to which the bandage is to be applied.

It is also advantageous to lengthen or to make the tab 9 into a second standing portion so that it may be wrapped in the opposite direction to that of the first standing portion thus placing the loop or sling in the center of the bandage and the two standing portions may be tied together when the bandage is completely wrapped. This provides a bandage with a locking lloop that may be wrapped and counterwrapped on the joint to which it is applied to .produce a double locking of the bandage.

We claim:

l. A roller bandage for binding joints of the body such as the heel consisting of a loop formed by extending the end of the roller bandage downwardly and back, attaching means to secure the flat of said end to the fiat of the bandage to close the loop and form a-sling with the bight in substantial alignment with the bandage and hooked over the joint and drawn upwardly on one side thereof, and a standing portion of the roller bandage extending from the 4loop where said end is secured for wrapping around both sections of the body adjacent the joint in the for'm of a figure eight.

2. A roller bandage for binding joints of the body such as the heel consisting of a loop formed by extending the end ofthe roller bandage downwardly and back in substantial alignment with the roller bandage, attaching means to secure Vthe at of said end to the flat of the bandage to close the loop and form a sling with the bight hooked over the joint and drawn upwardly on one side thereof, a tab attached to the bight of the loop and extending over the inside of the joint, and a standing portion of the roller bandage extending from the loop where said end is secured for wrapping over the tab 'and around both sections of the body adjacent the joint in the form of a figure eight. g

3. A rollerbandage for binding joints of the body such as the heel consisting of a loop formed by extending the end of the roller bandage downwardly along a straight course 'and returned forming a curved course crossing the straight course at an angle, attaching means to secure the flat of said end at said angle to the flat of the bandage to close the loop and lform a sling with the bight hooked over the joint and `drawn upwardly on one side thereof, and a standing portion of the roller bandage extending from the -loop where said end is 4secu-red Ifor wrapping around both sections of the body .adjacent the joint in the Vform of a figure eight.

4. A roller bandage for binding joints of the body such as the heel consisting or a loop formed by extending the end of the roller bandage downwardly and back with the same surfaces of the bandage facing the same direction, attaching means to secure the flat of said end to the flat of the bandage to close the loop and form a sling with the bight hooked over the joint and drawn upwardly on one side thereof, and a standing portion of the roller bandage extending from the loop Where said end is secured for wrapping around both sections of the body adjacent the joint in the form of a figure eight,

5. A roller bandage for binding joints of the body such as the heel consisting of a loop formed by extending the end of the roller bandage downwardly and back, attaching means to secure the at of said end to the flat of the bandage to close the loop and form a sling with the bight hooked over the joint and drawn upwardly on one side thereof, and a standing portion of the roller bandage attached to the loop with said end and extending from the loop where said end is secured for Wrapping around both sections of the body adjacent the joint in the form of a figure eight.

HOWARD E. WAITE. WILLIAM K. SMITH.

REFERENCES CTED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,595,087 Gibson Aug. 10, 1926 1,974,045 Frei Sept. 18, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 4,527 Australia Oct. 15, 1931 of 1931 573,221 Germany Mar. 30, 1933 

